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The Water Found in the Mojave Desert

Envision traveling through a land where less than 2 inches of rain fall each year -- a land where temperatures soar so high that the evaporation rate is 75 times higher than the precipitation rate -- and you will know why travelers through this region called the land Death Valley. This valley is only a portion of a larger desert known as the Mojave, which occupies portions of southern California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah. The Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi, San Gabriel and San Bernadino mountains create a rain shadow that makes the Mojave Desert the driest desert in North America. But numerous water systems still exist, which sustain the region's ecosystems.

Springs
- Numerous springs and hot springs bubble up from underground aquifers, creating pools and small marshes. Saratoga, Crystal, Badwater, Post Office, Cottonwood, Old Woman and Lamal Springs are cold springs. Some, such as Crystal Springs, spout forth fresh, drinkable water. Others, such as Badwater Springs, create salt ponds because the high evaporation rate leaves behind many dissolved minerals. Tecopa, Deep Creek, Warm Springs and Palm Springs are thermal springs warmed by heat deep within the earth.
Oases
- Oases are formed when water from underground springs collect into pools. Often, whole ecosystems form around these solitary water sources in the midst of a desolate, rocky countryside. The 49 Palms Oasis and the Oasis of Mara are located in Joshua Tree National Park in the southern Mojave. The Oasis of Mara supported numerous cultures, from the Native Americans who first settled there to the gold miners and ranchers who arrived in the late 1800s.
Rivers and Creeks
- The Colorado River creates the California-Arizona border and part of the Arizona-Nevada border in the midst of the Mojave Desert. The Amargosa, Virgin, Muddy and Mojave Rivers and Big Rock and Salt Creeks also flow through this region. If visitors to Death Valley National Park wish to experience a truly unique phenomenon, they can visit the driest spot on earth and Darwin Falls, a year-round cascade of fresh water, in the same day.
Lakes and Marshes
- Many natural and man-made lakes dot the Mojave Desert. Lake Mead, at the edge of the Mojave, was formed as a reservoir for the Hoover Dam and caused a former tract of desert to become the first national recreation area in 1974. Silverwood Lake was likewise formed from the damming of the Mojave River. Mono Lake and Convict Lake are two natural lakes. Convict Lake is a freshwater lake that supports an abundance of life. Mono Lake, on the other hand, is three times as salty as the ocean and only supports alkali-loving creatures such as brine shrimp, alkali flies and the birds, which feed upon them.

Nature